Sheppard's mark

Retiring chief connected well with public

Rochester Police Chief James Sheppard (right) and Mayor Thomas Richards (back) talk to city residents at a 'Shop Talk,' when residents were invited to local barbershop to ask questions and provide input about education, crime and the city economy.

As the sun sets on his 30-plus-year career in battling local crime, Chief James Sheppard is at his prime. That Rochester's charismatic top cop plans to exit at year's end, amid the unmistakable progress he has shepherded as head of a 711-officer force, is regrettable.

Sheppard's upcoming retirement from the Rochester Police Department, announced last week, comes at a time of highs and lows.

Homicides have dropped precipitously on his watch. The most diverse officer class in history was sworn in last year, thanks to the chief's efforts in tandem with Mayor-elect Lovely Warren and Mayor Thomas Richards. Unfortunately, a handful of contentious arrests put a pall over an impressive record of forging bonds between residents and the RPD.

An unassailable love for Rochester has permeated Sheppard's leadership - most recognized in his aggressive outreach and oft-recited "policing in the spirit of service" mantra, but also evident in the RPD's evolving catalog of sensitivity training. The dozens of community gatherings at which off-duty RPD officers donate their time and concern, too, are testament to the culture the chief has smartly fostered in house.

Sheppard's last gift to Rochester as chief is new Spirit of Service Training, which all sworn RPD members will participate in, starting next month. As Mayor-elect Warren evaluates would-be successors, surely she will seek someone of comparable vigor and dedication to creating goodwill between officers and Rochester's unique neighborhoods.

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Sheppard's mark

Rochester's retiring police chief connected like none other.

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